The African Diaspora in India : Assimilation, Change and Cultural Survivals / Purnima Mehta Bhatt.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bhatt, Purnima Mehta, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

African diaspora--History.

African diaspora.

India.

Local Subjects:

India.

Genre:

Book

Physical Description:

1 online resource (152 pages) : illustrations

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

London : Taylor and Francis, 2017.

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

"This book explores the understudied and often overlooked subject of African presence in India. It focuses on the so-called Sidis, Siddis or Habshis who occupy a unique place in Indian history. The Sidis comprise scattered communities of people of African descent who travelled and settled along the western coast of India, mainly in Gujarat, but also in Goa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Sri Lanka and in Sindh (Pakistan) as a result of the Indian Ocean trade from the 13th to 19th centuries. The work draws from extant scholarly research and documentary sources to provide a comprehensive study of people of African descent in India and sheds new light on their experiences. By employing an interdisciplinary approach across fields of history, art, anthropology, religion, literature and oral history, it provides an analysis of their negotiations with cultural resistance, survivals and collective memory. The author examines how the Sidi communities strived to construct a distinct identity in a new homeland in a polyglot Indian society, their present status as also future prospects. The book will interest those in history, sociology and social anthropology, cultural studies, international relations, and migration and diaspora studies."--Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Cover; Title; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Figures; Acknowledgements; Prologue; 1 Sidis: a historical perspective; 2 Links between Africa and India in antiquity; 3 The institution of slavery: origins and variations; 4 Slave trade in travel accounts; 5 History of Sidis in South Asia; 6 Three Sidi kingdoms in India; 7 Acculturation and change in the Sidi community; 8 Sidi contributions to art and architecture; 9 Abolition of slavery and the plight of freed slaves; 10 Sidi women: past and present; 11 The diasporic experience: diaspora in the global context: forging new identities.

12 Sidis todayGlossary; Bibliography; Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (ebrary, viewed September 25, 2017).

ISBN:

1-351-37366-8

1-315-14838-2

1-351-37365-X

9781315148380

9781351373661

1351373668

9781351373654

135137365X

9781138284869

1138284866

9780367345181

0367345188

OCLC:

994497860